Sanitary toothpick dispenser



July 14, 1931. ODDSEN 1,814,955

SANITARY TOOTHPICK- DISPENSER Filed Nov. 7. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l I n venior W I Gan /way odds,

A iiorney July 14, 1931. G. A. ODDSEN 1,814,955

SANITARY TOOTHPICK DISPENSER Filed Nov -2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I l l 0 Inventor f a llI/li/l/ll/l/llill/ll K IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII"IIIII'II A ftomey Patented July 14, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GUSTAV ADOLF ODDSEN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO ODD SANITARY TOOTHPICK DISPENSER, INCL,

OF BROOKLYN, NE'W' YORK Application filed November 7, 1929.

This invention relates to improvements in sanitary tooth pick dispensers.

The primary object of the invention resides in a device for sanitarily dispensing a single toothpick on each actuation thereof and which will be found extremely useful in restaurants and like public eating places where at present it is customary to expose the tooth picks provided for the convenience of a patron, which results in contamination of the tooth picks and undue waste as a person usually picks up more tooth picks than is desired for use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means for housing a supply of tooth picks and for dispensing one at a time on each actuation of the device, there being a novel means for agitating the tooth picks to prevent clogging up of the same at the entrance to the discharge chute whereby to assure the dispensing of a single tooth pick upon each actuation as long as the supply exists.

A further object is the provision of a tooth pick dispenser which is simple in construction, inexpensive of manufacture, and attractive in appearance.

Vith these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the certain novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, the essential features of wlnch are hereinafter fully described in the following specification, are particularly pointed out in the appended claim, and are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved tooth pick dispenser.

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view with parts broken away in section.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line 83 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters, the numeral 10 designates my improved tooth pick dispenser in its entirety which includes a box-like casing or housing 11 having an opening 12 in the rear wall thereof adjacent the top which is closed by a door or slide plate 13 to facilitate access to the interior of the casing for a purpose to be hereinafter appreciated.

Serial No. 405,413

hfounted within the casing 11 is a rearwardly and downwardly extending wall 14 which extends the distancebetween the end walls of the casing, while hingedly or pivotally mounted to the bottom wall 14- is an agitating plate or member 15, the front edge of which terminates in spaced relation to the rear wall of the housing when in a lowered position to provide a restricted passage 16 therebetween to facilitate the passage of but a single tooth pick at a time, the space above the inclined wall 14 constituting a storage compartment for a box of tooth picks 17, the bottom wall of which is cut away to allow the tooth picks to gravitate toward the lower end of the inclined wall for passage past the restricted passage 16. g l

Also mounted within the housing or casing 11 and disposed below the bottom 14 is a forwardly inclined enclosed chute 18 terminating in a vertically disposed branch 19 which is of a width less than the discharge end of the chute which terminates adjacent the front wall of the housing as clearly shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. The entrance end to the chute 18 is disposed directly beneath the passage 16 provided between the agitating member and the rear wall to facilitate but the passage 3 .of a single tooth pick to the chute so that the chute 18 will fill up with a single row of tooth picks to be dispensed.

The frontwall of the housing 11 is pro- ;vided with a discharge slot 20 disposed below the discharge end of the chute 18 while slidably mounted directly behind the front wall is a slide plate 21 provided with a tooth pick receiving slot 22, the lower wall of which is, forwardly inclined as at 28 1 to cause the-tooth picks to be dispensed to gravitationly fall from the plate upon movement of the sameto a dispensing position. Fixed to the plate 21 is a vertically extending plunger rod 23, the upper end of which extends above the top wall of the housing and is provided with a manipulating knob 24 for facilitating manual depression' of the plungerrod in a manner'to be presently explained. The plunger rod extends through an opening in the wall 14 and interposed between the said wall and a collar 25 fixed to the plunger rod thereabove is an expansion spring 26 which tends to normally posit-ion the plunger rod 1n a raised position, the movement against the action of the spring being limited by a stop 27 provided on the plunger rod and en gageable with the top of the housing 11 The stop is so positioned that normally the tooth pick receiving slot 20 in the side plate is disposed in register with the discharge end of the inclined chute 18 in order to receive a tooth pick which is dispensed upon downward movement of the rod. A forwardly extending trough 28 is provided beneath the discharge slot 20 in the front wall to receive the tooth pick as it rolls from the inclined wall 23 of the slide plate, when the said plate is moved to dispensing position.

For the purpose of actuating the agitator or flapper I connect the tail 29 of the agitator to the plunger rod 23 by means of an arm 80, the forward end of which is disposed in the path of downward movement of a collar 31 fixed to the said plunger shaft.

In practice, assume that a box of tooth picks is provided within the housing 11 as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings whereupon the chute 18 fills up, the lowermost tooth pick seating in the slot of the slide 21, it being understood that the slide is in a raised position as shown in dotted lines in Figure 3 of the drawings by depressing the plunger rod 23 by pushing upon the knob 24 against the action of the spring 26, the slide is moved downward to cause the slot 22 to register with the discharge slot 20 in the front wall of the housing whereupon the tooth pick carried down with the slide automatically rolls onto the trough 28 from where it may be picked up by the user. Upon the release of the pressure on the knob 24, the spring 26 returns the parts to their former positions whereupon the next lowermost tooth pick in the chute 18 finds its way into the slot 22. Simultaneously with the downward movement of the slide plate 21, the flapper or agitator member 15 is moved to agitate or stir the tootlrpicks which accumulate about the restricted passage 16 to prevent clogging up of the flow of tooth picks to the discharge chute 18. This flapper actuates on each actuation of the "dispenser, thus preventing any let up in the flow of tooth picks from the box or source of supply to the discharge chute 18.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided a sanitary tooth pick dispenser in which but a single tooth pick may be dispensed on each actuation thereof and which will prevent contamina t'ion of the tooth picks yet to be dispensed. The device will also discourage the waste of tooth picks which is now caused by a person picking up an excessive number than those which might ordinarily be used.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is A tooth pick dispensing device comprising a box like housing, a rearwardly inclined wall within said housing and terminating short of the rear wall of said housing to provide a passage, an agitating member pivotally mounted on said wall, and forming a portion of the discharge edge thereof, a forwardly inclined chute having its upper entrance end disposed below said passage, and its lower discharge end adjacent the front wall of said housing, a slide plate for singly receiving tooth picks from the discharge end of said passage, a plunger for operating said slide plate, an arm projecting from said agitating member to a point closely adjacent said plunger, and a collar carried by said plunger and adapted upon each operation thereof to engage said arm to operate said agitating member.

In testimony whereof I affix m signature.

GUSTAV ADOLF ODDSEN. 

